


beans ‘n brews

by ElasticElla



Series: follower milestone ficlets [18]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - This World Inverted (Shadowhunters TV), F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-11
Updated: 2018-07-11
Packaged: 2019-06-08 14:31:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15245427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElasticElla/pseuds/ElasticElla
Summary: A joke about if only he could get some land for a shop turned into a coffee truck idea, then van, and then Isabelle’s friend Clary demanding he cater her boyfriend’s next concert.And just like that Java Jace became real.





	beans ‘n brews

Jace likes to think he’s in the transformation business, small miracles that can turn a grumpy person into a happy one. (Or at the very least one ready for a morning meeting.) While his cooking is pretty average in general, ever since Robert left their Mum, he’s been the one to make the breakfast tea and coffee. 

It was the one thing Robert used to do right she says, and honestly after a decade, Jace doesn’t remember the man much. He sometimes visits Alec, Izzy, and Max, and Jace goes to lunch with Mom, both of them pretending they don’t care where the others are. (After so many years, it even feels true.)

Around thirteen he started growing his own coffee beans, and many seasons later he figured out how to grow beans in New York that actually taste good. A joke about if only he could get some land for a shop turned into a coffee truck idea, then van, and then Isabelle’s friend Clary demanding he cater her boyfriend’s next concert. 

And just like that Java Jace became real. 

He’s been in the mobile coffee business long enough that he has fans and regulars, can set-up a location without paying attention to the mundane bits. Instead he focuses on the good things: the smell of fresh coffee, the sun on his skin, the light breeze drifting in, the- 

“Hey, are you open yet?”

He glances at the clock- five minutes of five- and is about to say soon when he sees her. She’s positively glowing in the sun’s early rays, a college student without a doubt, a giant book on marine biology absolutely stuffed with sticky notes. 

Jace grins, “For you dollface, always. What can I get you?” 

Her nose crinkles up, and she looks around as though an alternative is going to appear. “Whatever the strongest thing you have is with lots of espresso, an extra-large.” 

Jace nods as he starts making it, “That’ll be the pre-med special.” 

She snorts, looking over the menu, “No way you call it that.” 

“Not to their faces,” he jokes. He hums as he finishes up her drink, and she pays before sitting at a picnic table and cracking open her textbook. The wave of early risers starts then and he’s busy for the next four hours. The girl leaves at some point, and Jace finds himself absently hoping she shows up again. 

.

She doesn’t. 

He’s resigned himself to it. A moment that he can no longer recall with perfect clarity (was her top more indigo or blue, her smile more sharp or subtle, has his brain already started filling in details?) but still feels fond. 

It’s only because Simon is playing at a bar that he sees her again and he knows his grin is ridiculously wide as he approaches. 

“Hey dollface, you open?” 

She turns with a glare that softens, head tilted as she tries to place him, and clearly pauses at his hair. “Pre-med coffee boy! What can I get you?” 

“Beer, whatever’s on tap. You never came back,” he adds with a pout. 

She laughs, grabbing a glass and casually flipping it. “I do evening classes, usually coffee isn’t my thing. But our professor scheduled a morning final so.” 

“Harsh.” 

She shrugs, placing the beer in front of him. “It went well enough for me. How d’you know Simon?” 

Jace raises an eyebrow, “Maybe I love his music.” 

“Uh huh, sure,” she says. 

“We go way back, one of his events was the first time I sold my coffee.” 

“Wait, you’re Java Jace?” 

He grins, “I am-”

“The Jace Gretel’s Izzy has been trying to set me up with.” 

Sudden horror creeps in, “Noooo, you’re not-”

She grins, all sharp teeth, “I’m Maia.” 

And oh god. Iz is _never_ going to let him live this down. 

“So can I buy you a drink later?” 

(Maia laughs and walks away, but at the end of her shift they’re heading out into the night together.)


End file.
